Urban Runoff and Water Quality Criteria

The significance of water quality impacts from urban runoff could be judged on the basis of existing water quality criteria developed to control continuous point source discharges. Wet-weather criteria could provide one input into decisions on the water quality importance of urban runoff and requirements for controls. The need to treat or reduce the loading from urban runoff can be determined, in part, by the characteristics of the urban runoff, by receiving water responses, and the water quality criteria employed to assess the impacts of this type of discharge. Each of these factors are discussed in this paper.